Chargers vs. Bills could be a pick 'em

Buffalo Bills' Nick Barnett (50) celebrates his interception with teammates George Wilson (37) and Fred Jackson (22) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011. The Bills won 31-24. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
— AP

Buffalo Bills' Nick Barnett (50) celebrates his interception with teammates George Wilson (37) and Fred Jackson (22) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011. The Bills won 31-24. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
/ AP

Will Philip Rivers keep being Philip Rivers – y’know, the old Philip Rivers, the one who showed up this past Monday, given time and space by his line and boosted by a strong run game and the return of Malcom Floyd, and threw three touchdown passes without being intercepted?

Will the Buffalo Bills continue failing to take the ball away?

The answers to these two questions, which cut to the heart of the Chargers and Bills’ travails, will have a lot to do with determining whether the Chargers can begin a win streak today and continue breathing in their fight for postseason life.

Five of Rivers’ interceptions have come in the Chargers’ five victories, the other 12 in the Chargers’ seven losses. In the Chargers’ first four losses, their opponents’ interceptions led to six scores -- 34 points in games decided by a total of 30 points. In losses to Chicago, New England, the New York Jets and Kansas City, Rivers also had passes intercepted inside those teams’ 30-yard line.

He has not been intercepted in his past 64 passes, his longest stretch of the season.

“Hopefully I stay in my dry streak,” Rivers said with a smile.

His dry spell has a different connotation than the way the Bills would interpret their own drought.

As of Oct. 31, no team in the league had more interceptions than the Bills. They had 14 picks – three returned for touchdowns -- in winning five of their first seven games. They grabbed four Tom Brady passes in a victory over the New England Patriots and four more from Michael Vick two weeks later in a romp over the Philadelphia Eagles.

And then …

During the five-game losing streak they bring to Qualcomm Stadium, the Bills (5-7) have just two interceptions. Only one team (the Minnesota Vikings) has fewer picks over their last five games.

“Those first few games we were pretty hot on the turnover streak,” said Bills cornerback Drayton Florence, a former Charger who has three interceptions this season. “We’ve hit a slump and we got to get back to that if we’re going to expect to win games in this football league.”

A few weeks ago, the Bills would have seen facing Rivers as a probable oasis for their interception drought. Through the season’s first 10 games, Rivers was an almost sure bet to throw multiple passes to the other team. He was picked off twice in six games and also had his first-ever game with three interceptions.

He still has been intercepted more than any other quarterback this season. But with a touchdown pass and no interceptions against Denver on Nov. 27 and three TDs and no picks on Monday in Jacksonville – just his second and third games this season without an interception – Rivers has more total touchdowns (19) than interceptions (17) on the year.

The Bills have noticed.

“Philip had been struggling throwing interceptions,” Florence said. “And he’s gotten that cleaned up the last few games."

“It’s a good secondary,” he said. “They have a knack for going to get the ball. They’re still around the ball. They still make you earn everything.”

One thing the Bills lack is pass rush, which is more often than not a partner and precursor of interceptions.

While the Bills have just 17 sacks on the season, 10 of which came in a game against Washington, they were getting pressure early. They had 48 total knockdowns and hurries in their first seven games and just 15 over the past five, as injuries have hampered their pass rushers.

Rivers knows about that. And he also knows about the ball bouncing a certain way sometimes.

“There’s a fine line,” Rivers said, “between an interception and a broken up pass.”